In a notable display of unity within the otherwise fragmented INDIA bloc, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday stated that although the opposition fully supports the idea of women’s reservation, it will strongly oppose the government’s proposed delimitation bill during the upcoming special session of Parliament. Speaking to the media after a meeting of opposition leaders, Kharge criticised the manner in which the government is pushing forward constitutional amendment bills aimed at implementing 33% reservation for women in Parliament.
Kharge emphasised that the opposition’s disagreement is not with the principle of women’s reservation itself, but with the approach being adopted by the government. He described the move as politically driven and alleged that the bills are being introduced in a way that undermines democratic processes. According to him, opposition parties have collectively decided to resist the delimitation proposal, which they view as problematic in its current form.
The comments came just a day before the special Parliament session, setting the stage for a likely confrontation between the ruling NDA and the opposition INDIA bloc in the Lok Sabha. The strategy meeting, held at Kharge’s residence, brought together several key opposition parties including the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Trinamool Congress (TMC), and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). The gathering is being seen as a significant moment of coordination for the opposition, particularly for the Congress.
Kharge further accused the government of attempting to silence dissent and marginalise opposition voices through these legislative measures. He argued that the process reflects an effort to push through major structural changes without adequate consultation or consensus.
The government, on its part, is set to introduce three amendment bills during the three-day session, with the aim of operationalising the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, which was passed in 2023 to provide reservation for women in legislative bodies.
A central point of contention is the proposed Delimitation Bill, which would empower the Centre to establish a commission tasked with redrawing constituency boundaries based on the most recent census data. Alongside this, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill proposes increasing the total number of Lok Sabha seats from the current 543 to 850, of which 273 seats would be reserved for women.
Under the original framework approved in 2023, the implementation of women’s reservation was expected to be based on the Census scheduled for 2027, with actual rollout projected around 2034. However, the government is now attempting to accelerate this timeline so that the reservation can be implemented ahead of the 2029 general elections. This would require using data from the 2011 Census, a move that has become a major point of disagreement.
Opposition parties argue that relying on outdated census data could lead to unfair representation and distort the balance among states. They have called for postponing the delimitation exercise until more recent and accurate population data, such as that from the 2021 Census, becomes available.
Reinforcing this stance, Kharge accused the ruling BJP of manipulating the delimitation process for political advantage. Congress leader KC Venugopal echoed similar concerns, stating that the opposition would not only oppose the delimitation exercise but would also attempt to defeat the bill during parliamentary proceedings.
